NASA's Artemis Mission | Artemis I-IV Missions

Context (IT): NASA has identified nine potential landing regions near the lunar South Pole for its upcoming Artemis III mission.

NASA’s Artemis Mission

Artemis Mission is a lunar mission to establish the first long-term presence on the Moon.
The mission intends to re-establish human presence on the Moon for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
NASA partnered with three space agencies: the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Artemis mission is divided into four parts: Artemis I, Artemis II, Artemis III, and Artemis IV.

Artemis I is the first uncrewed flight test of the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket around the moon.

Orion is NASA’s spacecraft that will take humans deep into space.
It is a partially reusable crewed spacecraft used in NASA’s Artemis program.

SLS rocket is a super heavy-lift expendable launch vehicle developed by NASA.
An expendable launch vehicle is a launch vehicle that can be launched only once, after which its components are either destroyed during re-entry or discarded in space.
SLS has the highest payload capacity of any rocket in operational service.

Artemis II will be the first crewed flight test around the moon since Apollo.
The crewed Orion spacecraft will perform a flyby test and return to Earth.

Flyby test: A spacecraft passes by a planet or other body in space to get information about it.

Artemis III will be the first crewed moon landing mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.
It will land the crew at the Moon’s south polar region.
Artemis 3 is planned to place the first woman and non-white person on the moon.

Lunar orbit: It is the orbit of an object around the moon.
- It will serve as a solar-powered communication hub, science laboratory, and short-term habitation module for astronauts.

Artemis Accords were established by the U.S. with seven founding members: Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the UAE, and the UK in 2020.
It is a set of principles that govern civil exploration and use of outer space and celestial bodies for peaceful purposes.
It is a non-binding multilateral arrangement.
It have been signed by 47 countries (including India).
It is built in accordance with the Outer Space Treaty.
The Artemis Accords is closely linked to the Artemis Programme, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface.
Crtiticism: The legal status and provisions are uncertain. E.g., no provision to regulate mining on moon and other celestial bodies.

Peaceful Purposes: Activities under these Accords should be for peaceful purposes.
Transparency: Members must be transparent about their space policies and space exploration plans.
Interoperability: Development of interoperable exploration infrastructures and standards.
Emergency Assistance: Render necessary assistance to personnel in outer space who are in distress.
Registration of Space Objects: Determining the registration of any relevant space object.
Release of Scientific Data: Open sharing of scientific data from cooperative activities.
Preserving Outer Space Heritage: It includes human or robotic landing sites, spacecraft, etc., on celestial bodies.
Space Resources: Utilisation of space resources by safe and sustainable activities.
Deconfliction of Space Activities: Refrain from any intentional actions that may create conflicts.
Orbital Debris: Mitigation of orbital debris through safe disposal and limiting the generation.

India may be seen as aligning with the U.S. against other space powers, such as China and Russia.

It is an international treaty that was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1967.
It is the foundational legal framework for activities in outer space.
114 countries are parties to it; India is also a party to it.

Peaceful Use of Outer Space.
Sovereignty and Non-Appropriation: Outer space is not subject to national appropriation or ownership by any means or any other forms of sovereignty.
International Cooperation.
Prevention of Harmful Contamination.
Liability for Space Activities: States are held liable for any damage caused by their space activities to other countries or their space objects.
Freedom of Exploration.
Prohibition of Military Bases.
Prohibition on Nuclear Weapons.
Legal Responsibility: States are responsible for national space activities, whether conducted by government or non-government entities, such as commercial companies.
Notification: Countries must provide information about their space activities and launchings.
Registration: Countries are encouraged to register space objects with the United Nations.
Astronaut Safety: States must ensure the safety of astronauts and assist astronauts in distress.